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Detroit Michigan Temple
Temple History The Detroit Michigan Temple is the 63rd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the first completed in the state of Michigan. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Detroit Michigan Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremony for the Spokane Washington Temple, marking the first time that groundbreaking ceremonies were held on the same day. When the day of dedication for the Detroit Michigan Temple arrived, so did a cold front that brought a frigid wind and occasional showers of freezing rain. "For the members, it's a warm day," Bloomfield Hills Michigan Stake President Thomas C. Bithell said optimistically. Pointing to the temple, he said, "There's lots of sunshine inside." During the days of dedication, President Hinckley spoke with the Church News of the temple district's members: "They appreciate it very much. They have indicated that they're so deeply grateful for this sacred structure and we, too, are happy that it has been erected here and dedicated and that the work of the Lord now goes forward here in this part of the earth." President Hinckley also noted that Stephen Mack, a brother of Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy, "surveyed the first road through what became Detroit." Many members pointed out the road in front of the temple as the one Stephen Mack built. The Prophet Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum and his father, Joseph Smith Sr., visited the Detroit area in 1834, and because of the location of the road and its relationship to the Prophet's uncle, "it would seem likely to me that they went by the temple site," President Bithell said. The roadway running in front of the temple, eight-lane Woodward Avenue, is one of the Detroit area's major thoroughfares. It gives the temple good exposure to passers-by, but it is remains unobtrusive because of its well-landscaped parkway and location behind a large, grass-covered buffer. The temple site in Bloomfield Hills was one of the last considered during the search for a suitable site. President Bithell, who was in charge of finding a site, explained that he considered property behind the stake center, but it wasn't selected because the temple would be hidden behind the meetinghouse, and the property to the north of the stake center was assumed to be too small. But after considering several properties near other meetinghouses, Pres. Bithell again looked at the tree-covered lot outside his office window and wondered about the northward property. It was measured "and it was just perfect," he said. He said the lot was part of the original eight acres purchased for Michigan's first stake center in 1952. Although selling the piece was often under consideration, it never happened. Temple District The Detroit Michigan Temple serves members from 7 stakes and 1 district headquartered in Michigan: # Ann Arbor Michigan Stake # Bloomfield Hills Michigan Stake # Grand Blanc Michigan Stake # Grand Rapids Michigan Stake # Lansing Michigan Stake # Midland Michigan Stake # Traverse City Michigan District # Westland Michigan Stake Presidents # Kaplin S. Jones 2019– # Raymond W. Pollard 2016–2019 # Steven A. Hedquist 2013–2016 # Phillip G. Pulsipher 2010–2013 # William J. Schilling 2007–2010 # David R. Shurtz 2004–2007 # Cyrus J. Webber Jr. 1999–2004 See Also * LDS Church in Michigan * United States List of Stakes of the Church * Mormon Temples List References Detroit Michigan Temple The Detroit Michigan Temple is the 63rd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the first temple built in Michigan. The roadway running in front of the temple, eight-lane Woodward Avenue, is one of the Detroit area's major thoroughfares. It gives the temple good exposure to passers-by, but it is remains unobtrusive because of its well-landscaped parkway and location behind a large, grass-covered buffer. Category:Detroit Category:Michigan Category:1998 Category:1999 Category:Gordon B Hinckley Category:United States Temples Category:Temples of the Church